It appears that Andrew can no longer be with us - he went up in the big thing that happened in Westchester a year ago that we'll keep mentioning but not get to and... okay, seriously, he just couldn't make it to see the 10th film in the X-Men franchise (give or take a Deadpool), and this has been touted as, after 17 years, the goodbye for both Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/"Ted Theodore" Logan, and Sir Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier. So how did James Mangold do in coming back a 2nd (final?) time to this character? Did he mangold it?

To join Jack on this review of this bloody *VERY R-RATED* Western action drama that happens to have Wolverine in it, "Guest Star" Matthew Catania (of the blog Matt the Catania at https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com) returns to give his comic-book know-how (and how!) regarding Wolverine, X-Men and other things related (you may be surprised what comes up).

SPOILERS at 35:45 into this (just listen for the little clip from the 90's X-Men animated series).

Give us your thoughts so we can read them on air! [email protected] or twitter and facebook at https://facebook,com/wagesofcinema and https://twitter.com/wagesofcinema - you can also find Matt at https://facebook.com/MatttheCatania and https://twitter.com/MatttheCatania - LIKE, FOLLOW, SUBSCRIBE, ET ALL, OR YOU'LL GET SOME CLAWS DOWN THAT HEAD, BUB!

(just kidding about the head thing, but really, do do those things...)

So... how about those Oscars, eh? No surprises at all, you know, not a single one to talk about, nothing to investigate, just the same ol' predictable thing going on with the presenters and winners and the speeches and timers and some little light spiffy jokes from Mr Kimmel and some presenters and then HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL WHAT JUST HAPPENED AT THE END THERE?!

It might be best, to say the least if you watch the Oscars or at least know what happened before listening ahead to our discussion. But if you have... well... listen away. Jack and Andrew watched the 89th Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and we look at just how many Matt Damon jokes can be made at his expense, how political it got (if it did specifically in certain areas), what we thought of certain winners, and of course THAT moment. You know the one, right... eh, right?

Not even replays of goals at hockey games are this intense.

Susan Hayward. John Gavin. Vera Miles. You remember then, don't you? No? Good! Because Jack and Andrew are here to tell you about what they did once when, under the direction of David Miller (don't remember him much either), acted in the THIRD adaptation of Hurst's BACK STREET, a classic tale of love gone awry in the midst of bad timing and a bad wife. How does it all turn out for these people, and do they fall in love in the end? Uh.... Well, about that....

Jack and Andrew sat down and checked out this melodrama, recommended by Jack's mom ("thanks, Mom!") and tried to figure out if it works on its own or other terms.

We return with a full 3 part episode! We begin with some sad news as, just as of this past weekend, the wonderful and always dependable character actor and movie STAR Bill Paxton (gotta use caps for the man) passed away, so we take a brief look back at some of his most memorable roles (including a bit at the end of this episode from his role of Hicks in ALIENS).

Then, Jack tells tale of new releases, also some Oscar nominees he caught up on (or did they WIN by the time this posts?! Actually... yes, but you'll have to listen to find out), and one new release in particular that made Jack's year (so far).

1) BILL PAXTON (up until around 14 mins in)

2) GET OUT (2017)

3) I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO (2016)

4) ELSTREE 1976 (2016)

5) FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)

6) A CURE FOR WELLNESS (2016)

7) TONI ERDMANN/THE SALESMAN (2016)

8) JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 (brief review) (2017)

The Great Wall doesn't simply come out of any garden variety Hollywood studio blockbuster committee or machine. This is a unique case (at least as of this posting in February of 2017): This is not only the most expensive *Chinese* production ever made (in conjunction with Universal and Legendary - *not* connected with their Godzilla or Kong productions, don't get too excited, we address that here), but it's also a film that's generated some controversy over the casting of Matt Damon. Is it worth all the uproar? How about if it actually works as a movie on its own? Well about that...

Jack and Andrew went to the Great Wall... the movie, not the actual wall, or certain walls yet built (you know what we mean). Listen here for this (almost) spoiler-free review (we don't have a spoiler section, but we give this a MILD Spoiler Warning over a couple of story details, which come up after the halfway point).

Three years after Chris Miller and Phil Lord's film of The LEGO Movie hit theaters, a spinoff (sort of) sequel, The LEGO Batman Movie, gives us more Batman. But what Batman, you might ask (and once again voiced by Will Arnett)? Hoo-boy.

There's more than one, and it seems different ages get the Batman they deserve (or, if they're lucky, want). This Batman is... not like the others. Certainly not how he sees his 9 ab muscles (yes, 9), or how he prefers his solitude with his reruns of Jerry Maguire (hilarious to laugh at 'You had me at hello') and his lobsters he eats whole. But what about... family? Could he bring in an orphan to be a "padre" to? What if Robin becomes like he did - you know, DARKNESS! NO PARENTS!

Jack, Andrew and Guest Star Matt (Catania, of the https://www.mattthecatania.wordpress.com) saw The Lego Batman Movie. Listen in here to our discussion (and SPOILERS start at 35:07)

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Following on a previous REQUIRED READING that we did a year ago (go to episode 37.3 for that, https://soundcloud.com/wagesofcinema/making-of-star-wars), we now look at the making of EPISODE 5 in the Star Wars series, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. How did George Lucas do it? Should he have given himself a screenwriting credit (or given Leigh Brackett, may she rest in peace)? How did Irvin Kershner, Gary Kurtz, Lawrence Kasdan and Frank Oz make things so amazing? Who is Phil Tippett? Why should you care?

Most of all - how the hell did this become harder to do than the first Star Wars? Listen here to find out details we discovered from this fabulous book by JW Rinzler.

(clips from the BBC special "The Risk Business" from 1980 are featured)

This year for 2017, Jack and Andrew take on a new year-long challenge; first there was "The List", where one host gave the other a film to watch that the other hadn't seen, and visa-versa, a sort of year-long film school; the "Cinema Immersion Tank" was about diving literally into one film for a week through revisiting five times, until every crevice of a frame could be inspected and absorbed. Now for this year, Jack and Andrew try something a little different: the final frontier. What in the HELL is that movie?

Jack and Andrew are going see movies that not only have they not seen, they've never heard of them before - hence the title - and there are a few ground rules (which are gone over in the podcast). But for now, here's the first episode (meant for January release, pushed back to February 1st due to technical difficulties beyond our control).

BETTE DAVIS and... BETTE DAVIS as twin sisters in DEAD RINGER! What's so special about it? What if we told you it wasn't the first time Bette Davis played TWINS?!

Listen here.

So what do chest-bursters, James McAvoy, early turn of the century vibrators, and the Hal 9000 computer all have in common? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! But God knows that doesn't stop the Wages of Cinema from trying!

This week on this first part of the latest installment of the Wages of Cinema, Jack and Andrew pay tribute to the career of actor John Hurt, who passed away recently, but more importantly came up on this show many times. Then, Jack talks about the latest from M. Night Shyamalan (SPOILERS are from 34:43 to 44:18) and Andrew sees a rather... interesting documentary. And there's a movie about going out into space or something and seeing a bone turn into a ship, we don;t know what.

MOVIES:

With John Hurt: ALIEN, 1984, V FOR VENDETTA, THE ELEPHANT MAN, THE BLACK CAULDRON, HELLBOY, HEAVEN'S GATE, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, 10 RILLINGTON PLACE, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, SNOWPIERCER, JACKIE, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, WATERSHIP DOWN, THE PLAGUE DOGS, ROGER CORMAN'S FRANKENSTEIN UNBOUND, etc etc

SPLIT (2016)

STICKY: A (SELF) LOVE STORY (2016)

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)

clip is from V for Vendetta. this podcast is by us.

Double, Double, Boil & Trouble!

It's... that rarity of a Walt Disney Animated Feature that's a disaster? How much so? What if we told you it cost $44 million dollars to make over a period of 5 years (actually 14 when you count when it was optioned for development)? The BLACK CAULDRON represented a point when the old guard and the new age began at the Walt Disney studios, right after the retirement of the "Nine Old Men" and just before all of the films to come that would usher a golden period for family entertainment.

The Black Cauldron: ambitious, non-musical, rated PG (and cut down from a PG-13, allegedly even an R!), loaded with talent and aimed to be the first animated studio film shot and released for widescreen 70MM film in 6-track dolby sound. What went wrong? The Doctors are in to open up the patient and see what's in the organs of this adaptation of The Chronicles of Prydain (and they may be joined, if only briefly, by a former guest to the show and long-time supporter Gabe Rodriguez - at least in one form).

clip taken from Trailer to Black Cauldron. Podcast owned by us.